Facebook to stop gathering WhatsApp user data in UK
Facebook has shelved parts of a controversial plan to harvest data from its WhatsApp messaging app in the UK amid pressure from the British data watchdog.The Information Commissioner's Office said the social media giant had agreed to "pause" sharing certain data between WhatsApp and Facebook as the regulator investigated whether it complied with British data laws.Amid pressure from the ICO and other European bodies, WhatsApp has now suspended most data transfers between the two apps across Europe.
Facebook stops collecting WhatsApp user data in Europe after government pressure
Facebook has stopped collecting WhatsApp user data across Europe, the Financial Times reports, bowing to pressure from privacy watchdogs across the continent.The shift in policy means that European users of the messaging app will no longer have information — including phone numbers — relayed to Facebook, but the social network says it may only be a temporary suspension while the laws are debated."We hope to continue our detailed conversations with the UK Information Commissioner's Office and other data protection officials," Facebook says, confirming that it "remain[s] open to working collaboratively to address their questions." Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, but only started to collect data from its users in August this year.
Facebook is forced to stop collecting WhatsApp user data in Europe
Earlier this year, Facebook announced that it would be collecting pieces of data from WhatsApp users in Europe.These pieces of information included device information and phone numbers, but caused an uproar due to privacy concerns.Although the Terms of Service was updated and an opt-out option was included, Facebook is being forced to pressure from European regulators.
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